Luis Cruz I can safely say that I’m not the only one who had no idea who Luis Cruz was at the outset of the 2012 season. By the end of it, the once unknown 28-year-old journeyman had become a cult hero in Los Angeles. Heading into 2013, it appears he’ll not only hold down a roster spot, but be the ... Read More »
Mark Ellis Signed to a back-loaded two-year deal in the off-season, Mark Ellis only played in 110 games after nearly losing a leg on the play you see above, posting a ~2.7 WAR in the process. 35 now and turning 36 years of age next summer, Ellis can’t afford to lose anything physically beyond what Father Time was already taking ... Read More »
Adrian Gonzalez When the Dodgers acquired Adrian Gonzalez from the Boston Red Sox, I saw a plethora of Dodger fans begin to assert wild and crazy things. Not only were the Dodgers guaranteed of making the playoffs, but they were a lock to make the World Series on the back of a hero who was absolutely the right acquisition because ... Read More »
A.J. Ellis After toiling in the minors for parts of nine seasons with just a couple cups of coffee to show for it, all the while watching the Dodgers treat the catcher position like it was wholly unimportant (trading Carlos Santana, allowing Joe Torre to run Russell Martin into the ground, and Rod Barajas not only being on the team ... Read More »
I’ve already been wrong before about the Dodgers ownership and their willingness to spend. I figured they would be willing to open up the checkbook, but assumed they would stop short of the luxury tax, much like the Yankees have tried to do in recent years. Instead? They have blown that limit away and now project to enter 2013 with ... Read More »
Matt Kemp should move to a corner outfield spot and be replaced in center field by Carl Crawford, says Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. When we talked to general manager Ned Colletti after the season, he said it’s something the team might revisit later, but is not considering for 2013. Why? Alternatives. Carl Crawford hasn’t played center field since ... Read More »
The Dodgers have announced that all members of the 2012 coaching staff will return in 2013 with the lone exception being hitting coach Dave Hansen, whom the club has parted ways with after he spent just over a season in the position. While it’s true that this squad was fairly terrible offensively for most of the season, I can’t and ... Read More »
Mike Petriello recently wrote an post, titled, “Finishing Strong Could Impact More Than Just Playoff Hunt“, and a lot of fans felt it hit the nail on the head. That is, the strong finish gives fans optimism for 2013. Now I’m not writing here to criticize his post, but it did get me thinking about the odd shift in mindset ... Read More »
Since the execution of The Trade on August 25th, the Dodgers have gone from scoring 4.0 runs per game to 3.1 runs per game. What was already a mediocre offense in the bottom third of the league has scored the second fewest runs in all of baseball since the start of September. Adrian Gonzalez was supposed to be the impact ... Read More »
Brandon League may well have found the treatment for what has ailed him with the help of the Dodgers coaching staff, as there has been a stark change in his mechanics in the month or so since he has arrived. Acquired in a trade with the Mariners, League’s career with the Dodgers got off to a putrid start, as his ... Read More »
Now that rosters have expanded, let the speculation on who gets the September call begin! Pump the brakes a bit though, because unfortunately for the people who wish to see young players show their stuff: 1) the 40-man roster is full 2) guys on the 60-day DL are due to return 3) um … the team just traded away all ... Read More »
In March, I wrote that international spending needs to be a priority for the new owners, referencing the Dodgers disappearing presence on the international stage and also their lack of draft spending. Well, so far, so good. From 2007 to 2011, the Dodgers draft budget ranked 26th in the league, which is incomprehensibly low for a team that was still ... Read More »
The most talked about news of late regarding the Dodgers is Ed Desser of The Hollywood Reporter estimating that the Dodgers television rights deal could be worth anywhere from $4.5 billion to $8.5 billion depending on the route ownership chooses to go. Sign a Rights Deal Most Major League Baseball teams license about 150 regular-season games a year for regional ... Read More »
I’ll be the first to give Elian Herrera a hearty congrats on a nice start to his career and for playing his role perfectly in relief of Mark Ellis, but let’s also make no mistake about the future. With some speculating that he could be a regular down the road, I just wanted to remind people that his start is ... Read More »
R.J. Anderson looked at Ned Colletti‘s trade history over at Baseball Prospectus and wondered why Dodgers fans are so worried about him. Colletti’s evaluation mistakes cost the Dodgers two middle-of-the-rotation starters, an All-Star catcher, and a good fourth outfielder at most. But what about the flip side? What about when Colletti correctly evaluated his own prospects? Silver wrote, “One of ... Read More »
Chad Moriyama Dodgers, Sabermetrics, Scouting